Curl clip



y 1939. e. VALENTINE 2,160,346

CURL CLIP I Filed Feb. 4, 1958 imme/who? race @Zezzfzne Patented May 30, 1939 UNITED STATES z asie PATENT OFFiCE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to a device adapted for use in connection with the curling of hair, and one object of the invention is to provide a clip, by means of which moist curls may be held in their proper position against a persons head after being formed and securely held until they have dried and set.

Another object of the invention is to provide a clip which may be very easily applied by a hair dresser and in addition so form the device that, after a curl has dried and set, it may be very easily withdrawn without disturbing the curl and not cause the dried and set curl to lose its shape or move out of the desired position.

Another object of the invention is to provide a curl clip which may be very easily held and its jaws moved apart during insertion even though the hair dressers hands are wet with curling fluid used during the hair dressing operation.

It is another object of the invention to provide a curl holding clip which is formed entirely of metal and thus not likely to deteriorate during continued use from the effect of certain acids used by hair dressers.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein K Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved curl holding clip,

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the clip, and

Figure 3 is a plan view showing the clip applied to a curl and clearly bringing out the size of the clip relative to the curl.

This improved curl holding clip consists of a pair of jaws I, each of which has a handle 2 formed integral therewith; Each jaw and its handle is formed from a metal strip or blank which tapers from its rear end towards its front end, as clearly shown in Figure 3, and intermediate its length each strip is provided with opposed side ears bent to form pivot ears 3. The pivot ears of one jaw overlap the pivot ears of the other jaw, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, and through these ears is passed a pin 4 constituting a fulcrum about which the jaws tilt for movement towards and away from each other. The portions of the strip forwardly of the ears 3 may be referred to as the jaws, and the portions rearwardly of the ears referred to as the handles to which pressure is applied in order to move the jaws away from each other.

The handles are to be urged away from each other in order that the jaws will be normally held in a closed position, and in order to do so, there has been provided a spring consisting of a strip of resilient metal which is bent to form arms 5 united at their forward ends by a bridge portion 6. This spring is substantially V-shaped, and

when it is applied, its arms 5 have flat contacting engagement with inner faces of the handles 2, while its bridge portion 6 engages about the pin 4 between the hinge ears 3. The arms of the spring must be forced towards each other in order'to bring pin receiving openings of the ears 3 into registry, and, therefore, when the pin is inserted, the tendency of the arms to spread apart 1 will prevent the spring from moving forwardly out of its proper position between the handles and engagement of the bridge 6 with the pin will prevent rearward movement of the spring beyond the position shown in Figure 2. edges of the spring have contacting engagement with the pivot ears 3 and the spring will thus fit snugly between the pivot ears and be prevented from having transverse tilting movement out of its proper position. By this arrangement the spring will be securely held in its proper position between the handles of the clip, but the handles and the arms of the spring may have suificient movement relative to each other to permit easy opening and closing of the jaws.

In advance of the ears 3 the jaws are bent, as shown at I, to dispose the portions of the jaws between the bends 'I and the free forward ends of the jaws in angular relation to the handles and the rear portions of the jaws. This is clearly shown in Figures 1 and 2, and referring to these figures, it will be seen that due to these bends 1 the jaws will have flat contacting engagement with each other throughout practically their entire length and, when a curl 8 is engaged between the jaws, it will be firmly held in the curled condition and prevented from moving out of its proper position against a persons head. The clips are of a length corresponding to substantially the length of a small hairpin or Bobby hairpin, and since they are of appreciable width, the curled lock of hair will be firmly grippedand formation of transverse depressions which might be formed by a narrow pin will be prevented. It should also be noted that, since the jaws are gradually reduced in width towards their forward ends and terminate in rounded free ends 9, the clip may be easily applied and extend under or over other curls without disturbing them. In view of the fact that the jaws are moved away from each other to an opened position by pressure applied to the handles, this opening of the jaws may be very easily accomplished, and the fact that the handles diverge from each other permits the clips to be very easily removed Side from a tray for use during dressing hair. By providing the clip with jaws which are tapered and unobstructed from the bends l to their free ends, they may be very easily withdrawn after a curl has dried and set without likelihood of catching and disturbing the curl.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

A curl clip comprising companion sheet metal members each providing an elongated narrow jaw having a handle formed integral therewith and at the junction of the jaw with the handle being provided with short side arms bent to form pivot ears, the pivot ears of one member being disposed in overlapping relation to the pivot ears of the other member, a pivot pin extending through the overlapping pivot ears, and a spring consisting of a strip of resilient metal bent to assume substantially a V-shape and provide diverging arms connected at their forward end by a curved bridge, said spring being disposed between the handles with its bridge portion engaging about the pivot pin and its arm extending rearwardly therefrom and bearing against the inner faces of the handles, and said jaws being tapered towards their free front ends and bent in advance of the ears to provide forwardly converging portions disposed in the plane of the handles and having parallel portions extending forwardly from the converging portions at an angle thereto in flat contacting engagement with each other from the bends to the free ends of the jaws.

GRACE VALENTINE. 

